Another blowout as Magic go up 3-0

ATLANTA — Rashard Lewis talks about patience, and at the same time, he talks about urgency.

He's not torn at all. Lewis, 30, merely sees the gathering gray in his hair each day.

"Let's you know I need to win a championship now before I get a head-full of gray," he said.

Lewis and the Orlando Magic continued their march toward a dream of winning a NBA title, dispatching the Atlanta Hawks 105-75 on Saturday to take a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Magic, beaten by the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals last season, can sweep their second consecutive series on Monday night in Game 4 against the Hawks. Orlando pitched a 4-0 shutout in the first round against the Charlotte Bobcats.

The Magic remained unbeaten in the playoffs at 7-0 and won their 13th consecutive game, including the last six games of the regular season. They have grounded the Hawks by embarrassing margins, winning by 43, 14 and 30.

Saturday's demolition marked only the fourth time in postseason history that a team has won two or more playoff games by 30 or more points in a single series.

There is no letup or letdown as the Magic speed toward an anticipated showdown against LeBron James and Cleveland for the right to return to the title round.

They are stomping on everything in their path, perhaps ending the national perception that Dwight Howard smiles too much and the team with the league's second-best record is a Disney creation.

"We've tried to work on having a killer instinct," Lewis said.

A 3-point shooter by trade, soft-spoken "Sweet Lou" is not known as basketball's Freddy Kruger.

Coach Stan Van Gundy, though, noticed that Lewis was "locked" in a postseason trance before the end of the regular season ended. "You could see it with Rashard," he said.

Lewis led the way with 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting as the Magic riddled the Hawks with 50.7 percent shooting. Dwight Howard scored 21 points and grabbed 16 rebounds and Jameer Nelson added 14 points. Mickael Pietrus finished with 13 points off the bench and Matt Barnes had 11.

Lewis had four of the 10 3-pointers and scored 15 of his in a devastating first half that snuffed the life out of the Hawks and the disgruntled crowd at Philips Arena.

Lewis' 3-pointer sent the Hawks into the dressing room trailing 52-33, accompanied by a chorus of boos from the home fans.

This was supposed to be a chance for the Hawks — 34-7 at home this season — to make a series of it. But they can't even make a game of it — or a quarter. Atlanta has outscored them in just one of 12 periods.

"People ask why you're winning. We've won because of our defense," Van Gundy said. "That's how we've won during the year and that's how we'll win in the playoffs."

The Magic's defense again suffocated the Hawks, holding them to 34.9 percent shooting and costing star guard Joe Johnson some summer free-agent money.

Johnson is shooting 28 percent for the series after going 3-of-15 for just six points in Game 3, frustrated by the tag-team of Matt Barnes and Mickael Pietrus.

"We knew if we cut off the head of the snake," Barnes said of Johnson, "we'd have a good chance of winning."

With Howard, Vince Carter and Nelson able to score, Lewis was at times lost in the shuffle this season, unusual for a team's highest-paid player (to the tune of $118 million). But winning is all he cares about at this juncture of his career.

"We have so much talent on our team that somebody has to sacrifice their role," Lewis said. "It's Dwight, Vince ... Jameer's role. Everybody else plays around them.

"I've been in the league 12 years, had my ups and downs, made an All-Star team. What's left besides winning a championship?"